Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Communicating To Our Children

Well, I wish I could say I came up with this...but no. This is actually taken from a book, Shepherding a Child's Heart. A friend in a Bible study sent this to us and she keeps it posted around her house with big Stop signs to remind her before she acts out of hand:

Rich Biblical Forms of Communication

Encouragement Correction Rebuke Entreaty

Instruction Warning Teaching Prayer

1 Thessalonians 5:14

“Warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak,

be patient with everyone”.

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Encouragement:Children need communication designed to inspire and fill with hope & courage. Help them assess the reasons for disappointment; help them understand the promises of God. You can help them to find courage, hope and inspiration from God, who draws near to the brokenhearted and contrite.

Correction:Correction gives your children insight into what is wrong and what may be done to correct the problem. Correction helps your children to understand God’s standard and teaches them to assess their behavior against the standard.

Rebuke:A rebuke censures behavior. Sometimes a child must experience your sense of alarm, shock and dismay at what he has done or said. Followed by instruction, encouragement and prayer.

Entreaty:This communication is earnest & intense. It involves pleading, soliciting, urging and even begging. An earnest pleading for a child to act in wisdom & faith. It is reserved for use in cases of great import. Proverbs 23:26

Instruction:Instruction is the process of providing a lesson, a precept, or information that will help your children to understand their world. Children need a framework in which they can understand life. King Solomon’s proverbs are a rich source of information about life.

Warning:A warning is merciful speech. A warning faithfully alerts us to danger while there is still time to escape unharmed. An alert parent can enable his child both to escape danger and learn in the process. Warning preserves. The warning is an application of the sowing and reaping principle that we find operative throughout scripture.

Teaching:Teaching is the process of imparting knowledge. Teaching is causing someone to know something. Sometimes, teaching takes place before it is needed. It is often most powerfully done after a failure or problem.

Prayer: Our most penetrating insights into our children will often come as they pray. Hearing you pray will communicate your faith in God to your child